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Using the Matrix & Data to Infuse Social Skills into the Curriculum

Cathy Shwaery, VA Effective SW Discipline/PBIS Facilitator

The 2nd Annual PBIS Region 4 ConferenceJune 30, 2011

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Outcomes• Identify need for social skills instruction for:

classroom, small group, & individual

• Identify specific social skills needed for successful academic instruction

• Relate skills to teaching matrix

• Use data to identify students and progress

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Strategies

• School-wide: Cool Tool

• Classroom Instruction: ENGAGE

MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS

Students learn appropriate behavior in the same way a child who doesn’t know how to read learns to read…

…through instruction, practice, feedback, and encouragement.

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Definition – Social Skills

Social skills is a set of competencies that:a) Promote positive social relationshipsb) Contribute to peer acceptance & friendshipc) Lead to satisfactory school adjustmentd) Allow students to cope with & adapt to the

demands of the social environment

Gresham, Van, and Cook (2006)

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Why teach social skills?Students with poor social skills have been shown to:• Experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships with

parents, teachers, and peers.• Evoke highly negative responses from others that lead to high

levels of peer rejection. Peer rejection has been linked on several occasions with school violence.

• Show signs of depression, aggression and anxiety.• Demonstrate poor academic performance as an indirect

consequence.• Show a higher incidence of involvement in the criminal justice

system as adults.

NASP, 2002

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Why teach social skills?

Some consequences of good social skills include:• Positive and safe school environment• Child resiliency in the face of future crises or

other stressful life events• Students learn appropriate and safe avenues

for aggression and frustration• Children learn to take personal responsibility

for promoting school safetyNASP, 2002

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Social Skills Topics

1. School expectations(e.g., listening, following directions, completing work independently)

2. Interpersonal skills (e.g., sharing, asking for permission, joining an activity, waiting your turn)

3. Self-awareness or control (e.g., coping with fear, anger, or frustration; controlling temper and impulsive actions)

4. Accepting negatives (e.g., dealing with teasing, losing, accusations, being left out, peer pressure)

Universal:•Matrix of school-wide expectations across settings•Simple lessons with activities•Year long teaching schedule

Secondary Prevention:•Small group instruction•Students displaying social skill challenges as primary concern•Set of skills targeting common concerns•Set of clear generalization strategies for classroom teachers to implement

Tertiary Prevention:•Social skill deficits / performance problem•Guided by FBA•Replacement “social skill” meets need

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

Social Skills InstructionFramework

ALL

SOME

FEW

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USING THE MATRIXAS A BEHAVIOR CURRICULUM GUIDE

MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS

Class-wide Skill InstructionDefine the Problem• Students run into classroom after recess yelling and

pushingDefine the Goal (What do you want them to do?)• Students enter classroom quietly, take their seat and begin

reading a bookDesired Behavior (What will you teach?)• Students enter the classroom quietly, keeping hands and

feet to self, put away recess equipment, hang up coat, go to their seat, take out a book and read silently.

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Refer to your Matrix

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Gap Analysis

• Do they know how to – line up on the playground?– enter the school orderly & quietly?– enter the room quietly?– sit in their seat/space?

• Do they know– What comes next?– How to prepare for next lesson?

• Do they need instruction, practice and/or motivation?

MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS

Lesson Components

• Rationale ~ Rule for when to use the skill• Teach ~ Teach the rule• Modeling ~ Demonstrate the skill• Role Play ~ Students practice the skill• Review and Test ~ Assign homework

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Cool ToolBehavioral Lesson Plan

Skill Name/Setting

Being Ready (how to be ready for class activities)

Teaching Examples

1. Class is about ready to begin, you get out the materials you will need for your first assignment. Before you sit down or visit with your friends, you collect your binder, pencil, and book.

2. The teacher gives you a break between math and science; so you go to your locker or open your bag and get out the book, folder, journal, or whatever you need for the next class. After getting ready, you visit with your friends.

3. You have all the things you will need from your bag to complete your work, so you put your bag on the floor to give you more space on your desk.

Student Activity

1. Ask 2 – 3 students to give an example of a situation in which they need to be ready for class activities.2. Ask students to indicate or show how they could get ready for a class activity.3. Encourage and support appropriate discussion/responses. Minimize attention for inappropriate responses.

After the lesson

1. Just before students are about done with a task, direction, or activity, ask them to tell you how they could get ready for the next class or activity (precorrection).

2. When you see students are using inappropriate ways to get ready, wait until they are quiet, then ask them to tell you a more appropriate way to get ready for that class or activity (reminder).

3. Whenever a student gets ready for a class or activity the correct way, provide specific praise for the student.

http://pbis.ocde.us/Assets/PBIS/downloads/Teaching+Social+Skills+at+the+Large+Group+Level.pdf

MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS

Individual Student Skill Instruction

Define the Problem• Student swears when told he can’t have somethingDefine the Goal (What do you want him to do?)• Use appropriate exclamations• Stay calmDesired Behavior (What will you teach?)• Silence or replacement words

(say, “shoot” or “ok”)

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Refer to your Matrix

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Gap Analysis

• Does the student know– Alternate words?– Calming techniques (if angry)?

• Do we know the function of the behavior?– Skill deficit– Performance deficit

MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS

AssessmentSkill based deficit

– Direct observation– Ask significant others – Provide strong incentive to observe if performed under such

conditions

Performance based deficit• Motivational deficit

– Observe if student performs skill following introduction of motivational strategy

• Discrimination deficit– Student frequently performs skill, but fails to perform under

specific circumstances– Oblivious to social cues or social demands of situation

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INFUSING SOCIAL SKILLS INTO THE CURRICULUM

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ENGAGE Blueprint

xamine the Demands of Curriculum & InstructionENGAGE

ote Essential Social Skills (Needed for Lesson)

o forward & Teach

ctively Monitor

auge Progress

xchange Reflections (with Students)Schoenfeld et al. 2008

Examine the Demands of the Curriculum & Instruction

Using Function-Based Thinking: Determining reasons for those behaviors (emotional, cognitive, some combination) •Avoidance due to academic deficits • Social skill deficit (doesn’t know how to interact with peers/adults)• Capacity issue (work is too much)• Engagement issue (work is not engaging)• Unfamiliarity with the content or the process of engagement• Depression or other issues a counselor should address

(Hershfeldt, Rosenberg, & Bradshaw, 2010)

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Note Essential Social Skills (Academic Correlation)

What skills are most relevant in my classroom or school? What will students need to actively participate in the

whole class, small group, or individual learning activity? What specific social skills will produce the most success? Which skills are essential for academic success? How many are deficient in this area? Which skills will be easiest to teach? Which skills will generate some positive momentum?

Schoenfeld et al. 2008

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Note Essential Social Skills(aka data collection)

How to identify who needs what?• Teacher observations• ODRs• Cum records• Child study team reports• Interviews • Surveys

Schoenfeld et al. 2008

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Go Forward & Teach

• Analyze academic lesson• Choose social skills needed for success• Collect materials• Implement plan• Use small increments of time within the lesson

to infuse social skills into the academic content– Beginning, middle & end

Schoenfeld et al. 2008

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Cognitive Behavioral Strategies• Overt self-instruction (talk aloud)• Covert self-instruction (inner speech)• Self-monitoring• Reinforcement• Homework assignments

Go Forward & Teach

Schoenfeld et al. 2008

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Actively Monitor

• Scan, move about the room, prompt students to engage in newly acquired skills

• Provide consistent positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior

• Self-monitoring techniques to take responsibility for tracking own behavior

Schoenfeld et al. 2008

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Gauge Progress• Measure progress in acquiring, maintaining, &

generalizing social skills• Informal & formal assessment methods

Schoenfeld et al. 2008

http://www.csde.umb.edu/toolspdfs/Appendices.pdf

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• Debrief with students• Emphasize mutual respect, shared decision

making, and a positive and cooperative climate

• Focus on goal-oriented skills– What skills did we use well today?– What social skills did we not use well?– What should our primary social skills goal be for

the next class period?

Exchange Reflections

MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS

Key Points

• Behavior can be taught.

• Students need multiple opportunities to

practice behavioral skill deficits.

• Teachers need to reinforce students when

they demonstrate targeted skills.

Free Curriculum• http://pbiscompendium.ssd.k12.mo.us/ResourcesSchools/SSD/SocialS

kills/socialskills.html – Electronic curriculum– 84 social skills lessons– Lesson design– Age appropriate activities– Role play rating sheets– Age appropriate homework sheets– Assessment surveys– Progress reports

• www.csde.umb.edu/ToolsforTeachers.php • http://pbiscompendium.ssd.k12.mo.us • http://www.cesa7.org/pbis/Cool_Tools.asp

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References• Glasgow Middle School, FCPS, 2005• Gresham, F. M., Van, M. B., & Cook, C. R. (2006). Social skills training for teaching

replacement behaviors: Remediating acquisition deficits in at-risk students. Behavioral Disorders. 31, 363-377.

• Hershfeldt, P.A., Rosenberg, M.S. & Bradshaw, C. P. (2010). Function-Based Thinking: A Systematic Way of Thinking About Function and Its Role in Changing Student Behavior Problems, Beyond Behavior, 19 (3).

• Lewis, T. & Powers, Lisa. Implementing effective social skill instruction across the continuum of SW-PBS supports presentation, Retrieved 5/1/11 from flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu/revision07/secondary/lewispowerssocialskills.pdf

• Lifer, J. S., Brady, M. E., & Siperstein, G. N. (2009). A "Tools for Teachers" Approach for Infusing Social Skills Instruction into Daily Teaching Activities. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 6(2) Article 6. Retrieved 5/1/11 from http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol6/iss2/art6

• MU Center on Schoolwide PBIS, http://pbismissouri.org • Schoenfeld, N.A., Rutherford, R. B., Gable, R. A. & Rock, M.L. (2008). ENGAGE: A

Blueprint for Incorporating Social Skills Training into Daily Academic Instruction. Preventing School Failure, 52 (3).

• Social Skills: Promoting Positive Behavior, Academic Success, and School Safety. Retrieved from Http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/socialskills_fs.aspxNASP, 2002.

• Video, Social Skills Made Simple www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPp1y7hNXSM